Why ZED

At ZED we build homes keeping ‘sustainability’ in mind. Whether it is use of materials or dependence on water or power from the outside, or for waste water that has to go out of your home. If you visit some of our ZED campuses you will see what we mean. Those were years when customers did not see the value of rainwater harvesting, or of smart water management. We saw what was lying ahead. We have been thought leaders and pioneers in housing and continue to be several years ahead of what the regular builder offers. Walk in to our office, have a chat with our colleagues to see how cutting edge meets customer comfort in every home that we create.

Of course the other hygiene factors for investment are taken care of in each of our habitats -whether it is locational advantage, or infrastructure, or perceived aspiration on value of the properties. All of it spells healthy ROI that you can look forward to with every ZED investment you make.

Water security is provided by four key elements of rainwater harvesting viz. recharging the shallow aquifer and roof top rain water collection; apart from these are water-efficient fixtures in every ZED home and high-hygiene systems for treating every liter of waste water for reuse and upcycle.

Every single ZED creation is built on these lines. There is testimony from ZED home dwellers that will surprise you for the sheer conviction that they display in the facilities that have worked for them on water and power.

ZED homes reduce dependence on BESCOM/state grid by providing systems like solar water heaters for water heating, solar photo voltaic for auxiliary power generation. These make for a staggering 60 per cent reduction in energy use by every ZED home.

We also reduce the consumption of power by providing CFL/LEDs that require about 1/3rd of a normal bulb. We also provide low wattage ceiling fans that again reduce consumption.

Earth : avoid bricks – they employ precious topsoil and use 400 deg C energy; instead use soil stabilized blocksEnergy : both embodied energy and active energy use on consumption, apart from engineering active and passive elements on energy savingWater : infrastructure approaches and plans that help communities grow their own water; waste water management that reduces fresh water useWaste : to ensure that homes in a residential community assume responsibility for managing wastesAir : with passive cooling and active cooling systems that are energy-efficient and ozone non-depletingBiomass : to improve the microclimate of a land zone in a way that reduces demands on home cooling.

It would be worthwhile to review the TZED Project to illustrate what makes ZED Habitats different:- In comparison to a Conventional project in its neighborhood, TZED is designed to use some 60% less energy, some 40% less water but without withdrawing a drop from the municipal mains and discharges no waste compared to 22 million liters annually discharged by a conventional building of comparable size. The added advantage of living here is that the temperatures are optimum for living, air quality is much better, and there are savings to be made by residents from consuming less water and energy. Understanding these achievements at a larger scale would mean that if 10,000 families get an opportunity to stay in T ZED type housing, daily municipal water saving will be around 10 million liters or should we say about 20 million liters as half the water gets lost on the way (T & D losses are on the average 50% in Indian cities) and roughly half the energy. At the macro level, therefore, this solitary example of such demonstrated benefits should inspire builders and planners alike to create more such projects to promote sustainability for water and energy resources and waste management in the urban context.

We are eco friendly, since we minimize the amount of CO2 emission while undertaking any of our projects. It also means that we take measures to ensure that in ZED Habitats homes there is a greater security for water & power for you and your future generation.

Some of the key differences that we bring are: We do not use bricks, clay blocks and clay tiles as these are made from precious top soil that causes deforestation and to manufacture them, it has to be burnt to high temperatures that use fuels like charcoal or diesel that emits CO2. We do not use forest timber as it causes deforestation. We do not use incandescent bulbs or regular fluorescent lamps, halogen lamps as it consumes high energy. We do not use air conditioners that emit CDS (Carbon Depleting Substance) or GHG (Green House Gas).

We use “green” building blocks like Soil Stabilized Blocks (SSBs), Besser block. We have used SSBs in ZED Habitats T Zed and Besser blocks in BCIL Collective. We use plantation timber for doors. All ZED Habitats projects beginning from ZED Habitats Trans Indus have been using it We use CFL & LEDs for lights. We have used a combination of CFL/LED hybrid for street lighting the T Zed campus. We use non-toxic paints for internal coating. We use local variety of flora that needs less water. We have got 2 acre farm land near Kanakpura road where we grow about 10 to 15 such indigenous species. We use air conditioners that use natural technologies like earth tunnel systems or systems that consume less power like ammonia based chillers.

We have used systems and process that provide you the following: Comfort and convenience through use of materials like the besser block. In this case, since it is a hollow block and uses less of cement it acts like a “heat trap” and provides – thermal insulation- so that your room is cooler in summer and warmer in winter. 30% to 40% lower maintenance bills as you need to spend less on water tanker bills, power bills etc., Longer life as materials like grid plaster on the external walls ensure that you don’t have to paint your walls ever again and it will age gracefully. Lesser hassle on maintenance like the air conditioning system in ZED Habitats Collective has no coolant or compressor.

We have always mentioned that your dependence on external agencies for power, water and waste will come down. It is not 100%. So, there will be an element of payment. For e.g, how would you dispose toxic wastes? The bio compost/bio-gasifier cannot handle that. Even in case like T Zed, where do not depend on the government for water, we have to pay the deposits as it is a regulatory ruling that cannot be overlooked

There is no specific number for a project. It varies from one project to another and depends on the number of homes that a campus will have and the level of independence one needs from the central power grid.

Your home would have emitted less CO2 while it was made and hence you have contributed in reducing the global warming. During the time that you will live in a ZED Habitats home, you will consume less water, less power and hence you will leave a legacy for your future generation that has more water and power.

Yes, we do arrange for a site visit, called True Green Xperience, a walk through that will guide you through the story, innovations and benefits of Zed homes. Can I register your details for an appointment?